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Game Essentials: SimCity BuildIt

We take a closer look at the App Store’s must-play games.

SimCity BuildIt

Build your extraordinary city.

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This long-running series has been entertaining generations of players since the late ‘80s. And it’s come a long way in that time: This latest edition looks shiny and slick from a distance, and staggeringly detailed up close.

SimCity’s principles haven’t changed, but what was once an aerial-view arrangement of chunky blocks is now a fully three-dimensional world of your own making.

Think carefully about how you section out your city. Try to avoid putting industrial areas next to the suburbs, for example.

Besides, even in these early stages you’ll have key choices to make. You can harness the wind for a natural clean energy source, but it comes at a cost and doesn’t produce as much power as a factory. But choose the cheaper option and locals won’t want to breathe in the toxic smoke it belches out, so you’ll need to place it well away from residential areas.

Before long, you’re no longer thinking purely about necessities but luxuries. Soon you’ll have a doughnut shop and later you’ll be thinking about shopping malls and casinos. And your personal tastes will come to the fore. You can make paradise homes by the beach, or give your suburban areas a Parisian look.

There’s always something to attend to or tinker with in the busy world of SimCity.

When you’re not busy building, it’s fun just to stop and watch the simulation running. Pinch to zoom into one of your sports stadiums and you’ll see tiny players spiking volleyballs, hitting home runs, and scoring touchdowns. The sights and sounds of your bustling city and its happy inhabitants are the perfect payoff for your investment.

Yet some people just want to watch the world burn—and we won’t pretend there’s no pleasure in doing just that. When your city’s big enough, you can call upon the sinister Dr. Vu, who’ll help you create havoc with various disasters, from meteor storms to alien invasions. After all, it’s easier to destroy than create—and besides, you’ll be rewarded for your rebuilding efforts.

Natural disasters are also a thing you’ll have to contend with.

Either way, there’s a real joy in watching that tiny cluster of plots steadily blossom into a thriving metropolis. Whether you’re building things up or knocking them down, SimCity BuildIt is endlessly rewarding—a classic series rebuilt and reborn.